Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
by betaTrickster
Summary: After an attack on the castle, Gumball finds himself alone with no clue as to what has become of his friends. He soon finds an unlikely ally, however, and together they scheme to take back the kingdom.


Gumball felt hands pushing him from behind, and somewhere in the castle a horrified shriek echoed.

He tried to stop, yelling at Fiona that they had to go back, they needed to help everyone, they couldn't just leave like this. She ignored him and urged him down the stairs and out to the front courtyard of the castle, where things were relatively calmer, although many candy people were running away, some of them casting terrified glances back to the castle. They stopped and stood in a semi-circle, panting, and were joined shortly by Lord Monochromicorn. There was another scream from somewhere deep within the castle, this time accompanied by a loud boom and cackling laughter.

"Fiona, we can't leave them here, we have to go back, we have to fight!" He cried, turning and taking a few steps towards the doors. In a flash Lord Monochromicorn was in front of him, blocking his path with a determined shake of his head.

"Gumball, we can't let you go back in there. If something happens to you, the whole kingdom will be lost. You're too important. Me and Cake will go and help everyone, Lord M's gonna take you to a hideout in the Cotton Candy Forest. We'll meet up with you later." Fiona said, her words coming out in a rush as she cast worried glances back at the castle. There was another boom, and somewhere- probably one of the back gardens -erupted into a plume of smoke and fire. Gumball looked from Fiona to the castle and back indecisively before giving up and climbing onto Lord Monochromicorns back. "You're right," He murmured, "But please, save as many as you can. And be careful."

Fiona smiled and rolled her eyes. "Geez Gumball, don't be so serious. I mean, me and Cake have never fought anybody we couldn't beat. We'll be fine, don't worry about it." She said, waving her hand dissmisively. Her tone was light, but he could hear the worry in her voice, and she refused to meet his gaze. Before he had a chance to say anything else Fiona nodded to Lord Monochromicorn, who nodded in return and took off, almost causing the prince to fall off in his haste.

He watched as Fiona and Cake shrank, becoming smaller and smaller until they finally disappeared altogether. The ride to the Cotton Candy Forest was long and almost silent, with only the sound of rushing wind to accompany their journey. After what felt like hours- although he knew it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes -they landed and he hopped off of Lord Monochromicorn's back.

They were in a small clearing surrounded on all sides by tall cotton candy trees, and a soft breeze blew through, carrying the sweet scent to his nose.

He turned back to his friend, who motioned towards a tree that stuck out just a bit further than the others. He took a hesitant step forward before turning back to look at Lord Monochromicorn, who nodded reassuringly, then stamped on the ground several times to inform the prince that he was going to go back to help Fiona and Cake.

Gumball opened his mouth to protest, then shut it and nodded. "Of course. Be careful." He said, walking over and wrapping his arms around his friends neck, noting in the back of his mind how un-princely this was. Lord Monochromicorn nuzzled him affectionately before stepping back and taking off into the sky. Gumball watched him go, then turned to the tree apprehensively.

It occured to him now that he had no idea how to get into this 'secret hideout,' although he assumed it was some hidden switch thing. He slowly circled the tree, running his fingers along the smooth trunk. He carefully applied pressure as he went, but nothing happened. He sighed in exhasperation and sank down onto the ground, standing up only seconds later as he realised that his clothes would get dirty.

He knew it was absurd to be worried about his clothing at a time like this, but he couldn't help it, he'd been raised being told that appearances and manners were everything, and he couldn't forget any of it, even in a time of crisis.

He looked in the direction of the castle, wondering when the others would be back. "_If _they come back." He murmured to himself.

He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts- the were terribly morbid, and completely unbecoming. Of course they would be back. It was like Fiona had said, she and Cake had never met a foe they were unable to defeat.

He sighed and fidgeted nervously, anxiously awaiting the return of his friends, with the news that his castle had been returned to him.

* * *

It was now dark outside, and Gumball had given up all hope of keeping his clothes clean.

He was seated beneath the cotton candy tree, cross-legged, his eyes drooping sleepily. He was trying with all of his might to stay awake, but he was failing miserably. His eyes shut again, and this time he was powerless to reopen them.

After what only seemed like moments of sleeping he felt something cold touching him, first patting his face gently, then poking him in the stomach. He shrank back, his eyes still shut, his hands coming up to frantically bat at whatever was touching him. His hand connected with something and he heard a breathy chuckle.

"Hey, come here often?"

His eyes flew open when he heard the familiar voice, and he found himself facing none other than Marshall Lee, who was hovering upside down and wearing the most infuriating smirk.

He let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding and clenched his teeth, giving Marshall a stony glare. "Marshall Lee, what are you doing here?" He asked, batting at one of Marshall's hands, which had continued to poke him at him.

"I was passing through, saw something _sweet _sitting all by itself, unprotected, and thought I'd stop by for a bite." He chuckled, turning himself right-side-up and baring his fangs in a half-hearted attempt at looking menacing. Gumball felt a blush creeping onto his face and stood up stiffly, pushing his way past Marshall, who laughed again. "So Bubba, what'cha doin' out here all by yourself? Don'cha know about the _things _that like to creep around here at night? We wouldn't want our lovely prince to get hurt now, would we?" Marshall asked, a hint of sarcasm creeping into his voice. Gumball sighed and shook his head, turning his gaze in the direction of the castle.

"Don't call me that. And you and I both know that there aren't any _things _creeping about. That's absolutely ridiculous." He scoffed, rolling his eyes and turning back to Marshall. The Vampire King smirked and floated closer. "Sure Bubba, believe whatever you want. That doesn't answer my first question, though. What _are _you doing out here by yourself?" Marshall asked, genuine curiousity leaking into his voice.

Gumball turned away nervously, resisting the urge to mess with his hair. "There was...some trouble at the castle. Fiona requested that I come out here and wait for her and Cake and Lord Monochromicorn. I've been waiting for some time though, and they still aren't here. They said they would be careful, but..." He trailed off, realising that he was starting to ramble- and to _Marshall Lee _of all people. Marshall appeared, floating over his head and hovering upside down once again.

"Trouble? What kinda trouble? I thought you had some kind of crazy giant guards to defend the castle against attacks."

The prince could hear skepticism in Marshall's voice, and he felt irritation knawing at his stomach. "Of course we have guards to protect us. Obviously whatever attacked was strong enough to defeat them." He said, spitting the words through clenched teeth. Marshall seemed to sense his anger, and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, calm down, I'm just asking questions." He said, "So, who was so strong they could defeat your giant guards? It couldn't have been Ice Queen, right?"

"I don't know who it was, I was in the kitchen baking when the attack started. Fiona and Cake just burst in all of a sudden and ordered me to leave the castle. I tried to stay, but she wouldn't allow it." The prince sighed and pinched he bridge of his nose. He knew he should have stayed behind and helped. He wasn't a very good fighter, that much was true, but he still felt...guilty. He felt like leaving everyone behind was the same as betraying them, as though he'd simply handed them to the enemy and walked off without a care in the world.

He was drawn from his thoughts by Marshall, who had begun poking at him again to draw his attention. "Hey, Bubba, I can take you to the castle, if you want. We can see what's going on, figure out what's happening with Fiona." He said. Gumball looked at him suspiciously for a moment, debating. "Why do even care, Marshall?" He finally asked.

Marshall shrugged and floated down so he was standing in front of Gumball, his arms crossed. "I'm bored. Plus Fiona's fun to hangout with, and it's hard to find interesting people to play with around here. It'll suck if something happens to her and I have to find somebody new."

Gumball frowned, but nodded. Although he wasn't Marshall's number one fan- far from it -he longed to see his friends and know what had happened. Marshall floated into the air, grabbing Gumball by the hand and pulling him up, much to the surprise of the prince. "Hey, Marshall! I'm perfectly capable of walking!" He cried, kicking his feet.

"I know you can walk, Bubba. It'll be faster if I carry you, though." He said, maneuvering them around so Gumball was sitting on his back. "If you wanna make it before morning, that is. Then I'd be kinda useless though."

Gumball frowned again, although he knew Marshall had a point. It _would_ be faster this way, and he was probably going to need the vampire's help.

Still, he couldn't help but worry that Marshall might drop him and send him plummeting to the ground.

* * *

They arrived at the castle after a short, uneventful ride. When Gumball saw the state of his castle he almost fell off of Marshall's back, letting out a horrified gasp.

One of the towers had fallen, and was laying on the ground in a half-crumbled heap. The gardens were a charred, smoking mess, and there were still some flames eating away at whatever had yet to be turned to ash. One of the walls had a large hole in it, and there were small shapes pouring into the castle.

"Oh goodness, what's happened? Who did this? Where are Fiona, and the others?" He yelled, practically screaming. Marshall ignored him, moving in for a closer look and letting out a hiss when the figures entering the castle became clearer. "Marshall? What is it?" He asked, a twinge of hysteria creeping into his voice. He was trying to stay calm, he really was, but it was proving to be quite difficult. He'd always prepared for situations similar to this, but he never thought he would actually have to put the plans he'd made to use.

"Those guys down there, they're from the nightosphere. Which means...mom's come for a visit..." He trailed off, muttering a string of curses under his breath. They swooped in even closer, and it soon became apparent that Marshall intended to go inside the castle.

"What are you doing? Marshall? Oh, please don't tell me you're planning on taking us in there, there's no way- oh dear!" His hands tightened into fists, clenching the fabric of Marshall's shirt, as he saw the creatures turning to look up at them, some pointing, others calling Marshall's name as though he was an old friend. It took Gumball a moment to get his head together and remember that Marshall's mother _ran _the nightosphere, so it only made sense that theses beings would know him. Of course, that could also mean...

Before he could realise the huge flaws in his plan, Gumball began to thrash about, swinging his arms in the hopes that he could get Marshall to drop him.

His plan worked- well, it half-worked.

He felt himself slip from Marshall's back and begin to fall, right into the crowd below. Just before he could land in the excited crowd of demons he felt Marshall grab him, yanking him up by his arm and causing Gumball to cry out in pain.

"Gumball, what the hell are you doing? Do you even realise what they would have done to you?" Marshall yelled. Gumball looked down at the creatures, some of which were looking up hungrily, although most of them had turned away, as though they had something more important to do than cry over lost prey.

He took a deep breath, realising the foolishness of his decision, but not wanting Marshall to know this. "Well...well you're planning on doing the same! You tricked me, you knew about the whole attack! What did you do with Fiona and Cake and Lord Monochromicorn?"

By now Marshall had lifted the two of them up, high out of harms way- sort of. "What are you talking about? I _like _Fiona and the others! Why would I help my mom with whatever she plans on doing?" He growled, his grip tightening painfully on Gumball's arm. "Ow! Stop it, that hurts! And how can you expect me to trust you when you magically show up right after the attack, then bring me here, where your mother is destroying my castle and doing who knows what else!" He cried, forgetting where they were and beginning to stuggle. This time Marshall seemed better prepared, and didn't drop him.

"Look, listen to me, and stop flailing around! I have no idea what's going on, I haven't even been around for the past week! I was heading back to my place and it's easier to go through the Cotton Candy Forest than anywhere else. I only found you because were snoring so loud- I'm surprised something else didn't find you before I did." Marshall ranted, glancing down to the floor. Most of the demons were gone by now, and only a few strays were still making their way down the hall. "We need to get out of here. Now that they've seen me, they're bound to tell her..." He mumbled, maneuvering Gumball onto his back once again.

When they got back to the forest Gumball was more than happy to be away from the castle, but less than thrilled to be alone with Marshall who, after putting him down, was now lost in thought halfway across the clearing. The air surrounding him had a stormy feel to it, and Gumball had managed to keep his mouth shut, although he had a million questions he wanted to ask.

He stayed quiet for another five minutes or so before he couldn't hold his tongue any longer. "So, ca-" He faltered when Marshall shot an icy glare his way, and he cleared his throat before continuing, "So, care to explain where exactly you've been for the past week? Or perhaps you'd like to tell me why your mother's here?"

Marshall glared at him again and massaged his temples, floating closer. "Where I've been is none of your business, and I already told you I have no idea what she's doing. I haven't talked to her in a while. We don't really get along, y'know?" He spat. Gumball was taken aback- he wasn't used to being spoken to in such a way. Even those who didn't like him- and there weren't many -managed to keep civilized tones with him, due to the fact that he ran the kindgom.

The prince's silence seemed to make Marshall realize that perhaps he had taken things too far- in Gumball's opinion, at least -and he sighed, lowering himself to the ground. "Sorry. Kinda sucks to know you don't trust me, though. I know we don't get along, but I'm not just gonna sell you to the highest bidder or whatever." He said. By the way he was speaking it was obvious that he would much rather not be discussing his feelings, and Gumball nodded, holding up his hands in a gesture of peace.

"I'm sorry as well. I was too quick to judge. So...what do we- I, do now? If your mother can defeat my guards, how am I supposed to get my castle back?" He asked, trying to keep his desperation and fear from creeping into his voice. Marshall sighed and took to the air once again, looking to the horizon, which was beginning to show just the barest hint of light. "Well, I guess I could try and talk to her. But, since that probably won't work, it looks like _we'll _have to see if we can find out where Fiona and the others are and rescue them. Now, it looks like the sun'll be up soon, so I gotta get back to my place..." He trailed off and glanced at Gumball, seeming to argue with himself for a minute before he continued, "Wanna come with? It's probably not safe out here anymore."

Gumball could see the vampire's reluctance, and although he would usually say no, the very idea of being captured outweighed everything else. He nodded and Marshall turned around, giving Gumball a chance to climb onto his back. After throwing another glance to the slowly rising sun they set off.

* * *

They made it to Marshall's house just as the sun got all the way over the horizon. Marshall let them in and quickly pointed everything out.

"Kitchen's right there, there's not much food 'cause I don't really use it, bathroom's that way, and this's the living room. The TV works, I have a bunch of movies in that cabinet. I'm going to bed, don't wake me up- trust me, it's a bad idea." He yawned, visibly swaying. Without another word he went to his room, shutting the door behind him with a soft click.

Gumball took a moment to examine the room before he made his way to the couch and sat down. He didn't bother turning on the TV- he hardly ever used them, unless he was with Fiona, and even then she usually preferred being outside. It wasn't long before he realized how tired and sore he was. He couldn't have gotten more than three hours of sleep, and his shoulder was throbbing from when Marshall had caught him earlier. He sighed and removed his shoes before reluctantly laying down and curling up on the couch.

Despite his exhaustion, it was a while before he managed to fall asleep, thoughts of his friends and his kingdom nagging at him.

* * *

When he awoke the sun was still up, although judging by its position it wouldn't be long before nightfall. The prince sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, and glanced towards Marshall's door. There was no sign that he was awake, or had gotten up at all during the course of the day, and Gumball briefly entertained the idea of peeking in and seeing if he was awake yet, but quickly waved away the urge. Marshall had specifically instructed Gumball _not_ to awaken him, and he'd sounded very serious when doing so.

Gumball stood up and stretched, then made his way down the hall to the bathroom. It was very small, and dimly lit, and ther was a pile of dirty clothes heaped next to the toilet. He crowded in and shut the door, turning to examine himself in the mirror and cringing at what he saw.

There were bags under his eyes, and his hair was a complete mess. There were smudges of dirt on his face and his clothes were dirty and rumpled. He quickly fixed his hair, seeing as it would mold easily back into shape, and set to work trying to fix everything else. He washed the dirt from his face and tried to fix his clothes, to no avail. He looked longingly at the shower, but knew that attempting to take one would probably end badly.

If the temperature wasn't set just right, things could get messy. Peppermint Maid was usually the one in charge of preparing his bath for him, but now...well, who knew what had become of her.

He felt tears welling up and pressed his hands against his eyes in a weak attempt to hold them back. Despite his efforts they spilled over, falling down his face and quietly landing in the sink. Although he was crying he managed to stay silent, allowing himself a few minutes of misery before the door opened behind him with a rusty squeal.

He jumped and turned around, trying to erase the traces of tears from his face. Marshall looked at him, seeming surprised, worried, and slightly embarrassed. Gumball pushed his way into the hallway, mumbling an apology as he went. He hoped Marshall would just leave him alone, but of course the vampire followed him, gently laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Gumball, you okay? Are you hurt or something?" He asked, looking genuinely concerned.

Gumball shook his hand off and rubbed his eyes again, taking a few seconds to gather himself. "I'm fine. I'm just overwhelmed with everything that's happened, and I look like I've been put through a mixer, and all I want is to take a shower and I can't, b-because I don't even know what temperature the water's supposed t-to be because Peppermint Maid used to prepare it for m-me!" He wailed. By the end of his rant he realized he'd started crying again, and Marshall had taken a step back, looking surprised and uncomfortable.

For a few moments they stood awkwardly, Gumball trying to calm himself down, Marshall trying to figure out what he should do.

After he was sufficiently calmed, Gumball turned away and retreated to the living room. Much to his relief, Marshall didn't try to follow him this time, instead making his own hasty retreat to the bathroom. He sat himself on the couch and placed his head in his hands, feeling even more tired than he'd been when he'd first arrived.

His thoughts turned, for the umpteenth time, to his friends, and what might have happened to them. Were they being kept in the dungeon? Had they perhaps been sent to the Nightosphere? Or could they even- heavens forbid -be...dead?

He glanced down the dark hallway, towards the bathroom, and hoped that whatever Marshall planned on doing would fix things.

* * *

_**Well, that's it for the first chapter! Sorry about the crappy ending, as you can see, I'm not very good at them T_T **_

_**I also apologize for any spelling/grammatical errors, but I don't have a beta so I just proof-read everything myself, and I have a tendency to miss stuff.**_

_** Anyway, thanks for reading and please- if it's not too much trouble -leave me a review!**_


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